Trace-buckle.



No. 742,267. PATENTBD OCT. 27, 1.909..

G. W. WILLIAMS. TRACE BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

A v Area m: Nunms PETERS cu. Puurauwa, WA$HINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES l atented ctober 27, 1903.

L GEORGE W. WILLIAMS, OF BETHANY, MISSOURI.

TRACE-BUCKLE.

SPEGIFIOATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 742,267, dated October27, 1903.

Application filed April 8, 1903.

more particularly to the class known as tracebuckles,employedforunitingthe short traces or tugs and main traces 0r tugs and likewise utilizedfor connecting the girth and saddle straps, and has for its object tosimplify and improve devices of this character and to pro duce a devicewhich will secure the parts with an increased grip without increase ofweight or cost of manufacture and without detriment to the efiiciency.

Other novel features of the invention will appear in the annexeddescription and be specifically pointed out in the claims following.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, in which correspondingparts are denoted by like designating characters,-Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional view, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing thedevice applied, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base-frame member ofthe device detached.

For the sake of convenience in describing;

one'face of the buckle will be designated as the outer face and theother face thereof as the finner? face.

The improved buckle consists of a substantially rectangular frame formedof side members 1O 11, end members .12 13, and an' intermediatetransverse bar 14, the bar disposed near one end of the frame, whereby arelatively contracted aperture 15 is formed between the bar and the endmember 12 and a relatively elongated aperture 16 likewise formed betweenthe bar and the other end member l3,as shown. The loop 27 forsupportingthe saddle or back band and the loop 28 for supporting the girth-bandare formed upon opposite sides of the rectangular frame, as

shown. The side walls 17 18 of the contracted aperture 15 are reverselyinclined away from the outer face of the frame, as shown in Fig.

1, while the opposite edge 19 of the trans verse bar is also inclinedaway from the outer face thereof to provide the inner edge of the endmember 12 and both edges of the bar 14 serial No. 151,659. on model.)'

with knife-edges, as shown in Fig. 1. The

end member 13 is elevated slightly above the general plane of the frameand made convex on its inner side, as shown.

Extending centrally from the outer face of the bar 14 is a tongue 20,adapted to engage one of the apertures in the trace, as hereinaftershown.

The short tug or short trace is rep- .resented at 22 and will beprovided with the is represented at 25 and will be provided with theusual spaced apertures 26 and passed beneath the end member 13 and overthe bar 14, where one of the apertures 26 will engage the tongue 20.This end is then' passed through the outwardly-extending bail 24 andFig. 1. By this simple arrangement it will be noted that when the draftis applied the bail 24 will compress the trace member 25 into closeengagement with the surface of the frame adjacent to the aperture 15,whose margins, as before stated, are comparatively knife-edged, so thatwhen the strains are exerted the bail willbend the trace over theknife-edged margins, and thereby very firmly hold theparts andmaterially increase the grip between them, while at the same time therelatively limited distance between the bail and the walls of theaperture prevent the trace being drawn bodily through the aperture orinjuriously affected by the knifeedge margins. The bail, it will beobvious, thus coacts with the tongue 20 to Very firmly unite the partsand prevent all longitudinal movement between them while in operativeposition. The coaotion between the bail and the edges of the aperture 15not only increases the grip upon the trace, but likewise relieves thepin 20 from a large percentage of the strains, and by exerting pressureupon the full width of the trace material distributes the strains, so asto reduce to a minimum the tendency to fracture or to weaken the material.

usual keepers 23 and movably coupled to a thence beneath the keepers 23,as shown in As above noted, the end member 13 is slightly offset, sothat the trace member is deflected and a brake-like or retardingpressure imparted which materially lessens the strains upon the tongueand likewise assists in holding the trace in operative engagement withthe frame, preventing lateral movement of the trace or its separationfrom the frame or tongue.

The whole device is very simple and inexpensive in construction and willhold the parts very securely, while at the same time it is very easilyseparable when the trace is to be adjusted.

The buckle-frame and bail member will preferably be constructed ofmalleable iron or steel and may be varied in size to conform to theharness to which they are to be attached and may be plated, japanned, orotherwise ornamented or protected, as required or fancy may dictate.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- 1. The combinationin a buckle, of a rectangular frame having a relatively contractedtransverse aperture near one end with the side walls thereof inclinedaway from the outer face of the frame, a relatively broad transverse baradjacent to said aperture and provided with an extended tongue, arelatively elongated aperture between said transverse bar and theopposite end of the frame, a trace-bail attachable to the short traceand extending through said contracted aperture and adapted to engage thetrace and hold it into close engagement with said frame adjacent to saidcontracted aperture,substantially as described.

2. A harncssbuckle comprising a substantially rectangular frame formedwith spaced side members and transverse end members, one of said endmembers being slightly oifset from the longitudinal plane of the frameand the inner edge of the other end member, and inclined away from thesurface of the frame, and a transverse bar having a centrally-disposedtongue and connecting said side members relatively near saidlast-mentioned end member and with the edge adjacent thereto reverselyinclined away from the outer surface of the frame, whereby a relativelycontracted aperture having reverselyinclined walls is formed at one endof the frame, and a trace-bail attachable to the short trace andextending through said contracted aperture and adapted to inclose thetrace and bind it adjustably in position relative to the frame,substantially as described.

I11 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE XV. WILLIAM \Vitnesses:

GEO. \V. BARLO\V, L. H. HAMPTON.

